These clearly aren’t the only tension-filled scenes from horror movies and they’re not even necessarily the best ones. They’re just 10 scenes that stand out to me and that I love so I wanted to share them with you. Spoilers for all of these movies, obviously.
1. Tina’s death – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Arguably one of the most famous (and awesome) death scenes in the history of cinema, the audience watches as helplessly as Rod does as Tina’s body rolls across the ceiling being slashed at by an invisible force. This scene proved that ANOES was not going to follow the rules.
2. Helen’s chase scene – I Know What You Did Last Summer
Helen has one of the longest chase scenes in a horror film. She escapes a police car and makes it to the safety of her sister’s store, only to be chased throughout the building and the alley outside. The worst part is she almost makes it to safety before the bad guy gets her.
3. Opening Scene – Scream
Viewers went into this movie believing that Drew Barrymore was playing the lead girl. Instead they got a funny, terrifying, and smart opening death scene that threw the formula book out the window and preceded a wild ride.
4. Inside the apartment – Rear Window
Rear Window is one of Hitchcock’s classics for a reason. He built extreme suspense without relying on cheap tricks. Watching Grace Kelly rummage through a supposed killer’s apartment without knowing how close she is to danger and Jimmy Stewart desperately trying to warn her sends chills down your spine.
5. Joke’s on you – Trick r Treat
Trick r Treat is a rare Halloween gem that doesn’t get enough praise. After a few mean kids prank the local weird girl they soon find out not to disrespect the dead when their joke gets turned around on them.
6. The Exorcism – The Exorcist
The exorcism of Regan lasted longer than we’d ever want it to. The priests compelling Christ, the girl’s body rising off the bed, the silhouette of her against the shadows making those horrible noises: these are the stuff of nightmares.
7. Laurie vs. Michael Myers – Halloween
For most of the movie Laurie sees shadows and feels uneasy but doesn’t really know the danger she’s in until Michael Myers finally finds her and chases her into a closet. The scene (and what happens after) is cemented in horror history for being legitimately terrifying.
8. Ending scene – Hatchet
You know that moment in the horror movie when the heroes finally win against the bad guy and ride off into the sunset? Well, not this time. The ending to Hatchet came out of nowhere and ended the movie with a bang.
9. Opening – The Ring
The opening scene of The Ring is one that scared countless teenagers when it was released. More than your typical opening kill, it set the path for the rest of the movie and made audiences scared to turn on their TV’s.
10. Pool Chase – Cat People
Cat People is one of Val Lewton’s amazing films about a girl who believes she can change into a wild feline when angered. Suspicious of the girl she believes her husband to be cheating on her with, Irena stalks the young lady into the pool of her gym. Shadows and sounds create a most creepy atmosphere worth re-watching.
This is only a fraction of the memorable horror scenes that freak out audiences. What are you favorite tension-filled scenes from horror movies?